Shades of Gray
by Juugo
Summary: Sasuke’s black eyes lost their glossy shine. To make him feel better, Naruto buys him a cat. But all that “Ramen” brings is bad luck, and Sasuke finds those large, hazel eyes unsettling. [itasasu?]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kishimoto/Naruto, not me.

Juugo's Note: Alright. First ItaSasu, not my first actual story. To me the first chapter is pretty short, but I'm never good at starting a story out. If you see any spelling errors or grammar mistakes, please point them out and I'll change them. Feedback is good...really good.

**Sasuke**: 12

**Naruto**: 13

**Sakura**: 12

Set about 3 weeks after the "Itachi Returns Arc", Tsunade has already arrived.   


Shades of Gray

Sasuke's black eyes lost their glossy shine. To make him feel better, Naruto buys him a cat. But all that "Ramen" brings is bad luck, and Sasuke finds those large, hazel eyes unsettling. itasasu?

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"Sasuke-teme!" came the loud, cheerful greeting from one Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke couldn't believe he could hear him through the door.

"Maybe…if I pretend he's not there, he'll go away." Sasuke pressed a soft, cotton-blue pillow over his head and closed his eyes tight. He shouldn't have to get up today.

Today was a day off.

That meant Naruto was supposed to stay away.

**Far Away.**

At first, Sasuke was surprised Naruto knew where he lived. But then again. He was sure he wasn't crazy. So when he caught glimpses of a tuff of pink hair moving quite noisily behind the bushes on his way home, he was sure how Naruto found out where he lived.

He had the pillow pressed so hard against his ear, he didn't notice the knocking on the door stopped; nor did he hear the soft "poof", or the arrival of Konoha's number one knuckle-head ninja.

"Sasuke!" Naruto screeched his name as loud as he could, a wild, foxy grin plastered on his face.

All he was met with, though, was an icy glare. "You…what are you doing in my room! What are you doing in my apartment?!" He'd get up and throw the blonde boy out, but, he just didn't have the motivation anymore.

Naruto blinked, sighing. Normally he'd stay away from the Uchiha. He was always a jerk to him, no matter how nice he was trying to be. But, he didn't like to see him like this. After the second meeting with his brother in that motel hallway, Sasuke's black eyes lost their glossy shine. "I…brought you a gift, Sasuke." He revealed a small box with numerous holes poked messily in the top.

Sasuke cringed, fearing what was inside. The box itself was enough. It was beaten up, part of it looked wet and soggy, and a horrible odor was slowly making its way to his nose. "Naruto…" the raven-haired boy bit his lip. "You didn't bring me ramen, did you? If that's ramen – throw it in the trash. You know I don't like it."

"Ah-!" Naruto looked shocked. "B-But…how did you know?"

He pouted, sniffling. The expression on his face was heart-wrenching, he looked unusually hurt. But Sasuke couldn't be too sure. If he fell for his trick, he'd never hear the end of it. "Please, Sasuke, don't throw Ramen away…I'll leave the box by your bed-side. But don't leave it in there too long."

"Yeah, whatever. Go away. And tell Sakura to stop stalking me."

There came no reply. He watched as Naruto walked out in complete silence, closing his door quietly. Listening closely, he could hear the voice of Sakura outside the apartment. He knew she was the one who brought him here. That was odd, though. If Sakura knew Naruto was going to give him a stupid gift, why did she let him give it to him?

With a bored grunt he flopped down onto his stomach on the cool bed. Glancing down, he noticed on the top in scribbled writing;

_From Naruto and Sakura. Hope Ramen makes you feel better._

"Might as well." Sasuke lowered himself to pick the box up, but quickly retreated as the horrible stench made bile rise to his throat. "Ugh…I'm going to have to get this out somehow. Leave it to those two to give me ramen."

Slowly, he got up. The cold air lashed at his bare legs and chest. Sliding on clean white shorts, he kicked the box along the ground until it rested in front of his kitchen. "Now I just have to get it into the t-trashcan…" Sasuke held his breath as he lifted the box from the ground, flipped it upside down over the garbage bin, and allowed all its contents to fall out. He decided he'd empty the trashcan tomorrow; he was tired enough as it was.

Dropping the box, he jumped on it, crushing it down until it was flat. He slipped it underneath the smelly metal, and limped his way back to his bed. "I'm just…going to stay here all day. At least Naruto and Sakura won't ask me if I liked the ramen…" Closing his eyes, he drifted off to a deep sleep.

Sasuke was glad to be woken in the middle of the night. He was breathing hard, a film of sweat covering his body. It was another one of **those** nightmares. Those taunting, red eyes were following him everywhere. Watching his every move. No matter where he went, they were there. He couldn't get away from them.

It was a soft brush against his face that woke him up. It was possibly the wind, from his open window. Glancing down, what he saw caused him to let out a blood-curling scream.

Those red eyes were staring right back up at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kishi/Naruto.**

**Juugo's note: Tried to make it longer this time. Wrote first half in school, part on the bus ride home and the rest was typed in the security of my room.**

Shades of Gray

**ItaSasu**, NaruSasu.

He quickly pressed his sweaty back against the head of the queen-sized bed. His eyes were shut tight – he dare not open them. He swore he saw those red eyes staring up at him. Had Itachi come back to finish the job? Slowly, he opened his mouth to let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Now wasn't the time to act like a scared little child. If it was Itachi, he'd stand up to him. He knew he couldn't beat him, but he'd try.

Five sweaty fingers were digging into his chest, as Sasuke tried to calm himself down. His breathing was labored; it could be easily heard by anybody else that could possibly be in the room. _Did it rise a few degrees in here?_

His eyes slowly opened, and he soon found himself staring into two unblinking eyes that stared curiously back. "It's…" He scooted back as much as he could, taking in the sight before him. This is what he had gotten scared about? A very un-Sasuke like grin spread across his face. "…just a stupid cat." The cat was a bit small. _One foot?_ It was obvious the horrible stench was radiating from the animal, he was sure it was just a random, stray cat picked up from the street. _Probably from the ramen shop. _Leaning forward, Sasuke poked the cat in its cheek. All he got in response was a soft "mew."

"Out. Shoo." Sasuke waved at the cat, scowl back in its place. He wouldn't stand for this. _I'm Sasuke Uchiha, avenger. Not cat-keeper._

The cat didn't move an inch.

A sigh escaped Sasuke's lips as he leaned back, rolling his eyes upward and peering at the ceiling of his small bedroom. _They should know I don't like animals. Mom never got me a pet, no matter how much I asked. And besides. I wanted a dog._ Standing on his lap, the cat pressed itself against Sasuke's chest. It was close enough to hear the fast beating of Sasuke's heart – he was still unable to calm himself. "Ugh…" Its tail swept his bottom lip and its head rubbed against his shoulder. "I think I'm allergic to this thing." The feline turned around to do it again, this time nearly knocking Sasuke's eye. Growling under his breath, Sasuke used the back of his hand to knock the annoying pest away. It was sent hurling across the room, slamming against the wall face-first.

Unlike most cats, this one didn't have a graceful landing. _I thought they said cats always landed on their feet._ The animal fell with a quiet thud against the ground. "Get out!" he yelled, wondering how crazy he must sound to anyone who could not see. The cat peered back at him – Sasuke could have sworn he saw a disappointed frown – and quickly retreated from the room.

The young Uchiha let out another sigh, using his hand to tuck back part of his hair that had gotten into his face. "That thing had to have come in with the damn gift. I'll get rid of it after training tomorrow…" Swearing under his breath, he fell back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling again. _What did I do to deserve all this?_

The cat was smarter than he thought. As he arrived home from training, helped by Sakura and led on by Naruto (who now memorized where he lived), he noticed a small, well-groomed cat sitting patiently outside his door. It was if it was waiting there all day. "Hey, Sasuke, I didn't know you were going to clean the cat, too. Was it hard? I heard cats don't like water." Naruto's voice came from ahead. Naruto stopped completely, squatting down as low as he could as he watched the feline. The cat, though, wasn't focused on him; it was staring behind him at Sasuke. "Hey, you didn't even read the note, Sasuke-teme!" Pulling a small folded paper from the cat's collar, he held it out for Sasuke to read. As he took it, Naruto opened the door.

"_Here is Ramen the first, a mackerel tabby cat I found wandering around with another cat outside the ramen shop. I've noticed how down you've been lately, and maybe you've been scared to be living alone. So I was like, hey, why not give that bastard a cat? I would have gotten that other cat too, but I know how careless you can be. It was big and fat, too, and it kept hissing at me. You'd kill it if I gave it to you. So think of Ramen as…a brother._

_-Uzumaki Naruto"_

"Oh, how-_" _He looked up from the fancy writing, to find himself standing awkwardly in an empty hallway. Both Naruto and Sakura had left him alone…save for the cat that was now standing inside his living room, staring at him in the hallway. With a shrug of the shoulders he ripped the paper in half, and dropped it onto the floor. He was exhausted. Nothing had gone right that day.

It started as soon as he fell back to sleep that night. He couldn't wake up the next morning. Luckily he didn't have another nightmare, but when he woke up, the cat was curled comfortably by his feet – which he didn't notice. He stretched, kicking the cat and causing it to bite his foot. From then on he had an unusual limp. The cut stung every time pressure was put onto the foot. It slowed down his movement, allowing Naruto to beat him in training today. Sad part was, he swears someone was watching. The bushes kept moving, even when he could perfectly see where everyone was – Kakashi was in the tree reading his book, Sakura was underneath the tree shouting who-knows-what, and Naruto was hurling shuriken at him like there was no tomorrow.

_And I swear there was someone in here. There's no way that cat cleaned itself. _The cat's short hair smelled like a soft, wafting vanilla. The purple collar around its neck didn't look like it was covered in mud – but there was a coffee stain on the back. Its claws were trimmed, it seemed to be fed, and all of this happened while he was gone.

"Who names a cat ramen, anyway?"

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**.Four Days Later.**

_Have I progressed at all?_ Sasuke was awake, but he kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to open them to the bright, white light. The freezing white room with white sheets, walls, with the occasional metal instrument sitting alone on the counter. It brought back too many memories. When was he last in here? Wasn't it only a few weeks ago? A month? He didn't know. He didn't count – Sasuke hadn't planned to end up in the hospital again. This time, though, he was under house arrest and wasn't allowed to go to training. There'd be Anbu parading around his apartment door, and watching him from his apartment window. It was unfair. How was the dead last stronger than him…?

Naruto sat in the waiting room. Neither he nor Sakura had gone to check up on Sasuke yet. "I…what happened? I wasn't…he overreacted…" The blonde boy wasn't speaking complete sentences. His entire body, covered from head to toe in burns and scratches, was trembling violently. Kakashi, from the training field, covered the boy's eyes with his forehead protector, and it still hadn't been removed. "..bastard…" He continued to mumble underneath his breath, rocking himself back and forth on his heels. Wiping his hands on his cut, bright orange pants, Naruto stood, and lifted the metal from his eyes. "Okay. Okay." He seemed breathless as he waltzed into Sasuke's room, looking at the raven-haired boy laying peacefully on the bed.

"I'll help you, Sasuke." The kitsune climbed onto Sasuke's bed, pulling off the sheets. "It'll be okay." He felt up and down his arms, putting pressure here and there with his thumb. Sasuke's hospital gown was then ripped to his waist, and the cold skin there was warmed by Naruto's swiftly-moving hands. "I won't let Orochimaru take you away! I won't let those horrible black marks stain your perfect skin." No. Sasuke wouldn't leave Konoha. Naruto would make sure of it. All of this was his fault, anyway. He let it take over – Naruto could have done something to help. He rocked his hips, ignoring the soft moan underneath him. "Sakura-chan and I. We can help you get revenge. Anything you want, just don't leave, it'd break Sakura's heart." Naruto rocked his hips harder, running his hands along Sasuke's hip bone. "The marks were here, too – I know they were." He pushed Sasuke's legs apart so he could get in between.

"Naruto, no, stop!" Sasuke tried to push the boy away, but he hadn't any energy left. The cursed seal took over just hours before, his chakra was drained. What the hell was that idiot doing to him? He didn't have these kinds of feelings for him, and even if he did, this wasn't the time or place for this. "Ah-get off!" Sasuke looked up as Naruto seemed to be attacked by a flying brown ball of fur, which quickly attached to his neck and refused to left go. Naruto began screeching random insults, thrashing about violently. Whatever was on him dug something sharp into him – Sasuke was beginning to see rivers of red on Naruto's fingers.

The ruckus brought along Kakashi, who had his book tucked away behind him, kunai in hand. Even the silver-haired ninja had to stop and do a double-take at what was happening. Uzumaki Naruto was atop an aroused Uchiha Sasuke, who watched with wide eyes as his teammate was attacked by…_ 'Is that a cat?'_ Dropping the weapon onto the floor, the jounin quickly removed Naruto from Sasuke's body. "What the hell has gotten into you?" The cat immediately let go, standing silently underneath the hospital bed. "You're going to have to get your own hospital room…" He dragged him out by the back of his torn shirt. With a short word to Sakura, he vanished down the hall.

Sakura soon appeared. Sasuke already had the covers drawn high up to his chin. "Here." Gray pants and a black shirt were flung at his head. A dark blush was on Sakura's face as she ran out, yelling "Get better soon, Sasuke-kun!" over her shoulder. The door clicked shut, and he was alone once again. Sighing, he pulled his clothes on quickly. The room was cold, and without Naruto's roaming hands on him, the cold air attacked at full force. He curled into a messy ball underneath the covers, wishing they were thicker, wishing Naruto didn't just molest him in a hospital bed, wishing that he could ignore the pain between his legs.

"It looks like someone has a problem," came a rich, velvety voice. Sasuke glanced up. _No…it can't be. Not again!_ Itachi was on all fours over his body, a triumphant smirk on his face. "You heard me, foolish otouto." He jabbed him roughly on his forehead, and his head was pushed back onto the pillow. "What…are you doing here?"

Itachi didn't answer. _That bastard. He always ignores me. Even now, he can't be bothered to answer my_ Sasuke's thoughts were cut short by a squeeze in his lower region. He gasped, looking down at the offending hand. His brother wasted no time. The cold air lashed at his heated flesh as his pants were pulled down to his knees. Sasuke's eyes snapped closed as Itachi mouth latched onto his throbbing member. "Ah-Itachi! Stop, this is w-wrong!" Long, smooth fingers wrapped around his base as Itachi's head bobbed up and down. Sasuke's protests were silenced, but he was still having an emotional battle inside of his mind. _Why won't he stop? We're brothers! I'm supposed to kill him…_ Itachi sucked hard, using one hand to hold down Sasuke's hips, the other massaging his base.

Despite how much he didn't want this, Sasuke found that his body wasn't quite working the way he wanted it to. He didn't want his back to arch as Itachi went faster, he didn't want his toes to curl in pleasure, he didn't want his hand on the back of his brother's head, encouraging him on, and he didn't want to scream as he was pushed over the edge by being deep-throated, emptying his load into a murderer's mouth. His back straightened, he panted, his eyes still half lidded, the way they were when this all began. Slowly, his eyes closed completely, and without a second thought he drifted off to sleep.

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"Ah!" Sasuke woke with a start. His eyes were wide, his heart was beating fast. But it was still night. The lights were off completely, he was all alone. _Was it a dream?_ He didn't think it was. His pants weren't very comfortable, he wanted to change them, and he guessed he'd have to wait until morning, when he could ask the nurse if he could get a change of clothing.

Nothing was out of the ordinary in the room, except the cat at the window sill, who was watching the boy with unblinking, hazel eyes.


	3. Kakashi's Hair Loss?

All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Note:** Was being lazy and wasn't planning on updating anytime soon. But _**someone**_ kept asking me about the fic, so…I updated. I had half of this chapter written out already some 5 months ago…I can't remember where I was going with this…

Shades of Gray

5 days, 17 hours.

That's how long Sasuke stayed huddled on Naruto's bed, playing some of the most childish board games. Right now, he was stuck in a rousing game of Nin-opoly. No matter how many board games he had to play with Naruto to stay with him, he'd do it. The first few days in Naruto's house were tense and awkward…but Sasuke decided things would have to go back to normal eventually, right? Ever since that odd encounter with Itachi, he kept his friends close and his enemies closer. Or, he was doing that, but he didn't realize it. The cat was currently splayed out on his lap, purring as Sasuke gently rubbed its stomach.

"Could you hurry up?"

"What was that, teme?"

The two team mates were slowly but surely becoming better friends. Sasuke dropped the 'dobe' and picked up "Uzumaki", though Naruto still affectionately calls the avenger "teme". Kakashi was often eyeing them closely; always offering to take them to the hospital if anything was wrong. They really didn't realize they were acting any differently.

"I want to go outside."

"It's raining."

"Teme…no it's not. Its 82 degrees outside. It's sunny…"

"Well…I want to stay inside. And I'm your guest."

"Come on! You've been inside for over a week now. Don't you want some fresh air? Can I at least open a window?"

"No." _Don't open the window._ "I have allergies. And think of Ramen."

_Paranoia_, Naruto concluded.

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Uzumaki Naruto was 13 years old and failed his graduating test at the Ninja Academy 3 times. He wasn't the brightest ninja to grace the Academy's rooms, but he wasn't oblivious to his surroundings. He knew his life-time rival, "the teme", aka Uchiha Sasuke, didn't like a lot of things. They've traveled all around as Team 7, and from these travels Naruto picked up some things on Sasuke that nobody else seemed to notice. Sasuke hated sweets. He didn't like the colour pink. He liked to train. He had fantasies about his older sibling's demise. And out of all these different things, there's one thing Naruto always remembered.

Uchiha Sasuke **loved** tomatoes.

That's why he wasn't surprised when Sasuke agreed to go to a secluded part of Konoha to get some fresh air. He offered him two crates of fresh tomatoes with a rice ball on top. The raven-haired boy seemed wary when it came to walking around in Konoha's dense crowds, but he couldn't blame him. But this time, Shikamaru would be tagging along, and Shikamaru **always** knew what to do when something bad happens. "There's nothing to worry about when Shikamaru is around." Naruto reassured him.

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By the time the sun vanished beyond the horizon and the chilling night air settled in, Sasuke, Naruto, and Shikamaru were all fast asleep on green grass. The calming noise of the stream that ran beside them was undisturbed. Their single bento box was currently resting some feet away against an eroded stone. Sasuke lay there with his eyes closed, listening to the soft snoring coming from Naruto in front of him. He'd get up and _demand_ them to return him home, but he didn't have the energy. Shikamaru did say nobody else came to this place, right? "Sleeping outside again, Sasuke? It's a bit nippy out here. You'll catch a cold."

_Hm...That voice…_It sounded so familiar to him…but he was too sleepy. _Might as well look and see who it is._ Cautiously, he began cracking open his eyes. Shikamaru was lying with his back against a tree, while Naruto was curled into a loose ball. Soft lights flickered on and off around them. _Fireflies._

The perfect picture.

Smiling slightly, he began closing his eyes. "Forgotten about me already, Sasuke?" Oh yeah. Stretching, he rolled onto his back and looked up. "Ugh! You!"

Naruto bolted awake. "Sakura-chan!" he yelled suddenly, a horrified look on his face. The look soon melted into confusion. "Huh? Ah! Where am I?!"

Shikamaru slowly blinked his eyes, yawning quietly. "Eh? Kakashi-sensei. What are you doing here? This is trespassing." He stretched his arms and folded them in front of his chest, glancing up tiredly at the copy-nin. "How did you even know we were here? We weren't followed."

"Oh yes you were." Kakashi said in an all-too-happy voice. "Sasuke and Naruto are **constantly** being watched…it's your fault for bringing them here. Besides, I don't think your father would mind me being here. I haven't spoken to him in a while…" Squinting his only visible eye, he tapped on his chin. "I haven't seen that troublesome mother of yours, either…"

"But in all seriousness, it isn't wise to let either of these two sleep outside like this. Sasuke should be sleeping on a warm bed…and Naruto should be at home where he belongs. Iruka came by looking for you." Standing up straight, he looked off towards the way he came. "Let's go now."

"Bye pineapple-head!" Naruto said cheerfully, standing up and bouncing off towards Kakashi, who already started walking away. Sasuke said nothing as he stood and followed. It was oddly quiet. "Kakashi." Sasuke snorted as he was ignored. "There has to be another reason why you woke us up…if you were watching us, I'm sure ANBU was as well. They would have watched us all through-out the night…disturbing us wasn't necessary."

No reply.

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"You are one smart child, Sasuke." Kakashi turned around, his back facing Naruto's apartment. Tilting his head slightly to the right, he smiled under his mask. "How do you know how ANBU platoons operate?"

"I've searched through my brothers' room before. He left many things on ANBU behind."

They made their way towards Sasuke's apartment. "I actually took a few scrolls of interest with me." He moved closer to Kakashi's side as the roads became less lit, and scarce of people. A light weight settled on his head, and he glanced up slowly, but Kakashi's eyes were elsewhere. He could feel fingers curling in his hair, massaging his scalp. In his other hand was a bright orange book that Sasuke quickly identified as _Icha Icha Paradise_. How come he wasn't reading it before…? Oh well. It wasn't his business, no need to ask.

Kakashi said nothing more until they reached the entrance of his student's apartment building. "Oi, Sasuke." He called quietly, lowering himself down to the Uchiha's level. "Didn't you learn not to go through your aniki's things?"

A poof of smoke.

And he was gone.

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"Good morning!" Naruto was a bit tired from being woken in the middle of the night, but he was sure all he needed was to see Sakura's smiling face and he'd feel much better. What he saw was quite the opposite. As usual, the three team mates made it to their meeting spot much earlier than their teacher. It was eerily quiet, as usual. Sakura was staring at Sasuke (and Sasuke ignored her) as usual. But rather than an expression of admiration and fascination, Sakura looked … worried. As if Sasuke was currently in some horrible fight and he didn't have a chance to survive.

"You're late, Naruto. Kakashi will be here any minute now." She said quietly, clasping her two hands together. _She's not screaming at me…_ In fact, she hadn't even looked his way. She continued to watch Sasuke, who continued to watch Naruto. _Wait a minute…_

"What is it, teme?! Is there something on my face?"

"It's that damned animal you gave me." Sasuke accused. "It's moving things in my house. And it keeps staring at me. I can't get any reading done…"

Sakura giggled. "Animals, especially cats, always seem to stare at you. It's those big, cute, shiny eyes of theirs. It's like those eyes see _everything_. But you can't blame it for wanting to stare at _you_."

"It…moves things?" Naruto repeated, confused.

"Yes. It moves things. It **does** things while I'm asleep or away." Sasuke crossed his arms. "Like this morning. My apartment smelt like coffee. I don't even HAVE coffee. But that cat has a coffee stain on its collar."

"My extra weapons are usually out of place when I get back from training with you guys. Sometimes they're dull, even. Dirt is everywhere in my house. And I found _hair_."

"Hair?" Naruto laughed. "Well of course you're going to find hair Sasuke, it's a fucking cat. You've never read or heard about animals? Sometimes their hair comes out. Cats make hairballs. You're just going to have to clean up after it. It may 'move things' but it can't do everything for itself. It's not a human." Sakura nodded in agreement.

"No, you don't understand, the hair is silver–"

"Yo." Kakashi cast a shadow on Sakura as he stood above his team. He held up his right hand lazily in greeting, as he held _Icha Icha Paradise_ open in his left. Naruto and Sakura began shouting about him being late (as usual), but today a voice bellowed three times louder than theirs.

"YOU!" Sasuke snarled, activating his sharingan. "You've been in my house! That's YOUR hair I keep finding everywhere!"

/End Chapter 3


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